News Release

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Newborn Found in Trash Dumpster

Los Angeles: On September 22, 2004, at about 2:00 p.m., police and paramedics were summoned to a large apartment complex in the 13900 block of Astoria Street in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. Two adults had been searching through large trash dumpsters at the location for recyclables when they discovered what appeared to be a newborn baby in a trash bag. The baby was lifeless and paramedics subsequently determined the baby was deceased.

Preliminary indications are that the baby was a full-term female of Hispanic descent and had been delivered within the preceding 24 hours. Detectives have determined that the dumpsters had been emptied in the mid-morning hours earlier in the day. A final determination of the descent and circumstances surrounding the death will be made by the Coroner’s Office.

Tragic deaths such as this can be avoided through the provisions of the California Safely Surrendered Baby Law. The law provides that within the first 72 hours of birth, parents and those in legal custody of the baby can surrender it at certain specified locations. Within Los Angeles County, newborns can be turned into an employee at any hospital emergency room or fire station. Further information is available at the following website: www.babysafela.org.

The Abused Child Unit, Juvenile Detective Division, is conducting this investigation. Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying females living in the neighborhood who may be in the latter stages of pregnancy. Anyone with information is asked to contact Juvenile Division Detectives, at 818-756-8748. On weekends and during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number for the Detective Information Desk, at 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855).